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Multifunctional membrane technology has gained tremendous attention in wastewater treatment, including oil/water separation and photocatalytic activity. In the present study, a multifunctional composite nanofiber membrane is capable of removing dyes and separating oil from wastewater, as well as having antibacterial activity. The composite nanofiber membrane is composed of cellulose acetate (CA) filled with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) in a polymer matrix and dipped into a solution of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs). Membrane characterization was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and water contact angle (WCA) studies were utilized to evaluate the introduced membranes. Results showed that membranes have adequate wettability for the separation process and antibacterial activity, which is beneficial for water disinfection from living organisms. A remarkable result of the membranes’ analysis was that methylene blue (MB) dye removal occurred through the photocatalysis process with an efficiency of ~20%. Additionally, it exhibits a high separation efficiency of 45% for removing oil from a mixture of oil–water and water flux of 20.7 L.m−2 h−1 after 1 h. The developed membranes have multifunctional properties and are expected to provide numerous merits for treating complex wastewater.

Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) has garnered significant attention in the field of flexible optoelectronics due to its unique properties. This study investigates the effect of incorporating tin oxide (SnO) nanoparticles (NPs) with various concentrations (0, 2, 3, 4, and 5 wt%) on structural, optical, and dielectric properties of PVA films synthesized via the solution casting technique. XRD analysis revealed a 28% increase in crystallite size (from 25.74 to 32.88 nm) and reduced dislocation with rising SnO content, indicating enhanced structural ordering. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was confirmed homogeneous nanoparticle (NP) distribution at ≤ 3 wt% but aggregation for 5 wt%. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and Raman spectroscopy were verified hydrogen bonding between SnO and PVA hydroxyl groups. Optical band gap energy was decreased systematically from 4.59 eV (pure PVA) to 4.18 eV (5 wt% SnO), confirming enhanced semiconducting behavior. Photoluminescence (PL) intensity was quenched significantly own to SnO-PVA cross-linking, with new SnO-related emission peaks emerging at 432 nm. The dispersion and the dielectric parameters were determined as functions of SnO concentrations. Nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ (3) ) and nonlinear refractive index (n 2 ) rushed to 48.84 × 10 −15 and 11.43 × 10 −13 esu, respectively for 5 wt% SnO film, demonstrating strong potential for nonlinear devices. These results highlight PVA/SnO films as promising candidates for flexible optoelectronics application.

The development of renewable energy sources has grown increasingly as the world shifts toward lowering carbon emissions and supporting sustainability. Solar energy is one of the most promising renewable energy sources, and its harvesting potential has gone beyond typical solar panels to small, portable devices. Also, the trend toward smart buildings is becoming more prevalent at the same time as sensors and small devices are becoming more integrated, and the demand for dependable, sustainable energy sources will increase. Our work aims to tackle the issue of identifying the most suitable protective layer for small optical devices that can efficiently utilize indoor light sources. To conduct our research, we designed and tested a model that allowed us to compare the performance of many small panels made of monocrystalline cells laminated with three different materials: epoxy resin, an ethylene–tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), under varying light intensities from LED and CFL sources. The methods employed encompass contact angle measurements of the protective layers, providing insights into their wettability and hydrophobicity, which indicates protective layer performance against humidity. Reflection spectroscopy was used to evaluate the panels’ reflectance properties across different wavelengths, which affect the light amount arrived at the solar cell. Furthermore, we characterized the PV panels’ electrical behavior by measuring short-circuit current (ISC), open-circuit voltage (VOC), maximum power output (Pmax), fill factor (FF), and load resistance (R). Our findings offer valuable insights into each PV panel’s performance and the protective layer material’s effect. Panels with ETFE layers exhibited remarkable hydrophobicity with a mean contact angle of 77.7°, indicating resistance against humidity-related effects. Also, panels with ETFE layers consistently outperformed others as they had the highest open circuit voltage (VOC) ranging between 1.63–4.08 V, fill factor (FF) between 35.9–67.3%, and lowest load resistance (R) ranging between 11,268–772 KΩ.cm−2 under diverse light intensities from various light sources, as determined by our results. This makes ETFE panels a promising option for indoor energy harvesting, especially for powering sensors with low power requirements. This information could influence future research in developing energy harvesting solutions, thereby making a valuable contribution to the progress of sustainable energy technology.

Nanoparticles of spinel ferrites of basic composition Ni 1− x Co x Fe 2 O 4 (0.0 ≤  x  ≤ 0.05) were synthesized through modified co-precipitation method, and were characterized for structural, transport electrical and magnetic properties using XRD, HRTEM, FTIR, LCR meter and VSM techniques, respectively. XRD analysis showed that all the samples are single-phase cubic spinel in structure. The average crystallite sizes of the nanoparticles were found between 30 nm to 45 nm. Real and imaginary parts of the impedance ( Z ′ and Z ″) suggested coexistence of two relaxation regimes: one was introduced by electrode polarization, while the other was attributed to the coeffect of grain and grain boundary effects. The dielectric constant of the samples was found very high, which showed non-Debye relaxation phenomena, while conductivity of the samples exhibited a two-segment behavior with frequency. The room temperature M–H curves suggested that the samples exhibit supermagnetism, and the saturation magnetization increases with increasing Co 2+ ion substitution.

Conjugated polymers (CPs) play a major role in optical applications due to their unique properties. In this current work, fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and quartz substrates were coated with thin layers of poly (2, 5-di-hexyloxy) cyanoterephthalylidene (CN-PPV) by spin coating technique. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) was revealed the amorphous nature of CN-PPV/FTO and CN-PPV/quartz thin films. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to examine surface grain form and size distributions for CN-PPV/FTO and CN-PPV/quartz thin films. Samples were exhibited similar functional groups, as determined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR). UV–Vis-NIR spectroscopy was revealed a noticeable impact of the substrate on the optical gap, optical constants, and dielectric characterizations of the films. The third-order nonlinear susceptibility χ 3 , nonlinear refractive index, n (2) , of CN-PPV thin films, were valued in the wavelength range of 200–2500 nm by semi-empirical calculation. Finally, the nonlinear absorption coefficient ( βc ) was obtained using a semi-empirical approach. Such variations in optical characteristics are coupled with changes in structure and morphology, which are strongly related to the type of substrate. These findings will be open the way for the creation of nonlinear optical (NLO) thin films with enhanced performance for optoelectronic and photonic devices.

Tin oxide compounds have been highly studied due to their important properties. Tin Oxide (II) SnO compound is considered an ideal p-type conductive material, with large p-type carrier mobility. It is getting a lot of attention in next-generation electronic applications. In this work, the SnO thin film was deposited on the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate by the thermal evaporation method. The X-ray diffraction pattern revealed the amorphous structure of the SnO/PET thin film. The purity of the SnO/PET film was confirmed using the Raman spectrum. An atomic force microscope was carried out to investigate the topography (roughness and particle size) of the obtained SnO thin film. The optical band gap E g Opt for SnO/PET thin film in the absorption region was estimated using Tauc’s equation. The refractive index for the SnO/PET thin film was estimated at the normal dispersion range by a single oscillator model. The dielectric optical properties of the SnO/PET thin film were estimated. The calculated third-order nonlinear susceptibility χ (3) and nonlinear refractive index n (2) were in the order of ~ 10 −10 and ~ 10 −9 esu, respectively, within the photon energy range (0.5 to 4 eV). The Sheik–Bahae model was used to determine the nonlinear absorption coefficient βc for SnO/PET thin film. Based on these detailed results, the high nonlinear optical parameters pave the way for the probability of using the SnO/PET in flexible optoelectronics devices. Graphical abstract

The influence of annealing temperature in the range 400–550 nm on the SnS thin films, synthesized via thermal evaporation method, is investigated. The structure of tin sulfide annealed films is examined through X-ray diffraction (XRD), revealing crystalline nature with the orthorhombic structure of the main peak (111) at 2θ = 31.38Ǻ. Micro-strain and dislocation density are decreased as the annealing temperature increased. The optical energy gap of these films is computed using the data of transmittance, reflectance, and absorption spectra over a wavelength range of 300–1200 nm. The energy gap decreases with increasing annealing temperature: Eg dir  = 1.77 to 1.62 eV and Eg ind  = 1.21 to 1.08 eV. The volume and surface energy loss function increased as the annealing increased. In addition, the real and imaginary inter-band transition strength was calculated using dielectric constants. Optical conductivity (σ opt ) and penetration depth of light (δ dp ) depend on wavelength calculated using absorption coefficient: (σ opt ) = 2.4 × 10 11 to 0.9 × 10 11 Ω −1 .m −1 at 2.25 eV and δ dp  = 0.04 to 0.006 at 1050 nm, respectively. The skin depth of these films provides a cut-off wavelength at ≈ 600 nm. Besides, the skin depth of these films decreases as annealing temperature increased.

The modified aqueous co-precipitation approach was used to successfully manufacture magnesium dititanate (MgTi 2 O 5 ) nanoparticles. Thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TG/DSC) was used to clearly reveal the thermal stability. Moreover, pseudobrookite structure, and surface morphology of MgTi 2 O 5 nanoparticles were determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques, respectively. The average size of the crystallites calculated by Scherer approach was compared to Williamson-Hall and TEM images results. The optical band gap of MgTi 2 O 5 nanoparticles was found to be 3.81 eV for direct transitions. The effect of temperature on the conductivity of DC electricity was tested between the rages 303–503 K. The data on antibacterial activity showed that MgTi 2 O 5 nanoparticles were antimicrobial and stopped the test microorganisms from growing. These findings revealed that MgTi 2 O 5 will be extensively promising in environmental pollution control and antibacterial research.

Lead zirconate (PZ) nanopowders were synthesized by the treatment of precursors with high-energy ball milling for a relatively short time. The effects of ball milling time and rotational speed on the produced nanomaterial were investigated. The calcination temperature of the ball-milled powder was determined from the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results. The structural properties of the calcined nanoparticles were studied by Fourier transmission infrared (FT-IR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Well-crystallized PZ nanopowders were obtained after heating at 800°C for 3 h. The diffraction data were refined by the Rietveld method to accurately determine the crystallographic information. Williamson-Hall, Halder-Wagner, and size-strain plot methods were employed to investigate the average crystallite size and lattice microstrain in the prepared samples. The XRD and TEM images confirmed the formation of nanoparticles with an average size in the range of 20–43 nm. The band gap of the nanopowders varied from 3.11 eV to 3.28 eV as established by diffuse reflectance measurement.

Molecular beam epitaxy was applied to evaporate a set of Au/ZnTe:I/CdTe:I/GaAs/In heterostructures. The resulted heterostructures were examined for photovoltaic energy conversion application. Electrical characteristics were studied for understanding the relevant electrical transport mechanisms. The current–voltage (I–V) characteristics were checked under dark and light conditions. Ideality factor indicates the recombination mechanisms in the designed device; its value equals (3.22). Under various light intensities (1–140 mW cm−2), the I–V curves are affected highly by reverse voltage bias. The open-circuit voltage increases exponentially with the illumination and its values of this device increased with increasing light intensity (L), where 55 mV at 1 mW cm−2 and 465 mV at 140 mW cm−2. Electrical as well as power related parameters of the designed device were interpreted. Photosensitivity and Responsitivity of the studied device showed a high photoresponse under different light intensities. Au/ZnTe:I/CdTe:I/GaAs/In heterostructures is a promising material for photosensor and optoelectronic applications.